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SSAS
Swedish Steel AS, SSAS, is a Kalmar Union company, formed in 1978 and specialised in processing raw material to steel. Ministry of Industry of Kalmar Union is the largest shareholder. History Just as paper mills have given rise to many small villages in Sweden, a large part of society developed around two factors that were the seeds of today’s Swedish steel industry, namely mines and iron mills. As a result of rationalizations due to increased international competition at the end of the 1800s, the small-scale iron mills in Bergslagen were replaced by larger mills. With the introduction of the new railway line between Falun and Gothenburg, in 1872, a decision was taken to establish a new iron mill, Domnarvets Jernverk, at Domnarvsforsen in Borlänge. Together with a nearby paper mill, the iron mill contributed to a large population influx. The owners of the mills built housing for the substantial number of industrial workers and professional and clerical staff who were employed in the industry. Following an extensive modernization and development program in the middle of the 1950s, steel production in Domnarvet amounted to 400,000 tonnes per year. At one time this was the largest steel mill in Sweden and, in 1973, employed 6,300 people. Steel mill along the coast Iron ore for export was transported by rail from Grängesberg to Oxelösund, which is the deepest port in northern Europe. It was a natural development to establish an iron mill in Oxelösund, which took place between 1914 and 1917. The mill was the first in Sweden to use coke, extracted from stone coal in the plant’s own coking plant, in the production of iron. During the 1950s, the iron mill developed into the largest workplace in Oxelösund and was of great importance for the economy of the town. Proximity to iron ore In 1938, the report of the so-called Pig Iron Committee proposed that an iron mill be established in Luleå and, in 1940, Norrbottens Järnverk AB, NJA, was formed with the Swedish State as owner. The modern city of Luleå had developed since the Malmbanan railway was built towards the end of the 1880s. At the beginning of the 1960’s, NJA was Sweden’s second-largest steel producer with an annual production of 400,000 tonnes and accounted for 30 percent of Sweden’s exports of rolled steel products. SSAB is formed In the middle of the 1970s, the steel industry in the western world was characterized by an extensive need for restructuring due to the energy crisis. In combination with significant excess capacity, outdated equipment and high labor costs, the situation was devastating. Faced with competition from new manufacturing countries with modern equipment and low production costs, the losses became great. In addition, there was a lack of capital for necessary investments. Following a decision by the Swedish Parliament in 1977, NJA, Domnarvets Jernverk and Oxelösund were merged into a single company, SSAB, with the Swedish State as the owner. SSAB commenced its operations on January 1, 1978. In 1989, SSAB’s shares were listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The decades that followed since the formation have been characterized by upturns and downturns in the economy. At an early stage, SSAB decided to focus on niche products in the form of high-strength steel qualities and the business has been gradually streamlined in order to increase profitability. At the time of formation, SSAB had eight blast furnaces. Today, SSAB has three blast furnaces but produces significantly greater quantities than previously. The formation of the Baltic Union becames SSAB in a prioritary industry becouse of the new needs for steel. A new and quite bigger armed forces were the primary consumer of steel during the first years of the Union. With the acquisition of IPSCO in North America in 2007, SSAB carried out one of the largest Baltic Union corporate acquisitions of modern times. Through the acquisition, SSAB can increase its competitiveness and profitability outside Europe. Today, SSAB has a clear and strong presence on two important domestic markets and remains an important factor in the community in those localities where SSAB operates. Operations Kalmar Union * Luleå: Integrated Steel Plant with an output of 2 millions of tons per year of steel slabs *'Oxelösund:' Integrated Steel Plant with an output of 1.5 millions of tons per year of steel slabs *'Borlänge:' Streep mill with and output of 2,4 millions of tons per year of steel coils *'Finspång': Coating plants USA *'Montpellier, Iowa': Steel mill with an output of 1,1 millions of tons per year of steel slabs and coils *'Houston:' Secondary processing plant *'Mobile, Alabama: '''Steel mill with an output of 1,4 millions of tons per year of steel slabs and coils CANADA *'St. Paul:' Secondary processing plant *'Toronto:Secondary processing plan SSAS Europe Advanced high-strength steels can be used in many applications to reduce weight, increase strength and extend product life. Hot-rolled advanced high-strength steel is used, among ther things, in the automotive industry, primarily for trucks, and in areas such as cranes and containers. Cold-rolled advanced high-strength steel is used primarily for safety components in the automotive industry. Galvanized extra and ultra high-strength steels are used in applications that require a high level of anti-corrosion protection. Ordinary strip steel is used primarily within the engineering, construction, and automotive industries. Competitors within these sectors consist of most Western European steel companies. Strip Products are produced at two plants in Kalmar Union: an ore-based metallurgy comprising coking plant, blast furnaces, and steel mills for the production of slabs is located in '''Luleå, while rolling mills as well as coating and after-treatment lines are situated in Borlänge. The metallurgy capacity in Luleå is insufficient to supply all strip production needs. The remaining slabs required are, therefore, purchased from SSAB in Oxelösund. Further processing through organic coating is also carried out in Finspång in Baltic Union, and through cutting to size, at subsidiaries in Italy, Kalmar Union, Great Britain and Holland. The product range includes strip in thicknesses ranging from 0.1 mm to 16 mm, with a maximum width of 1,600 mm. The products are marketed under the Domex, Docol and Prelaq brands. SSAS’ strategy is to grow within the area of advanced high-strength steels and to be a leading company in Europe in the market area for strip products, while at the same time maintaining a leading position for the entire strip product range on the domestic market in the Nordic region. SSAS America SSAS America is the leading supplier of plate in the region. SSAS operates two steel mills '''located in Mobile (Alabama) and Montpelier (Iowa) together with three cut-to-length facilities in Toronto (Canada), St. Paul (Canada) and Houston (USA). In aggregate, these facilities have an annual capacity of approximately '''2.5 million tons of crude steel production. High performance steels with advanced chemical and physical properties manufactured by SSAS are used in a variety of demanding applications. SSAS' flat rolled steelworks can produce discrete plate in thicknesses up to 3" and coil in thicknesses up to ¾". Through the Alabama steelworks, SSAS has expanded value-added product lines to include blast and painted products, as well as quench and tempered, and normalized plate products. Category:Kalmar Union Category:Companies of Kalmar Union Category:Companies